By 2019, Adweek expects video to make up nearly 80 percent of all internet traffic, and for good reason. It’s not just the number of people streaming their favorite shows – there’s so much content it’s nearly impossible to keep up, and great video helps people tell their stories in an engaging way. While we’d all love to be responsible for developing the next great viral video, any video content strategy that speaks to, entertains or informs your target audience can help your brand. It doesn’t take a heavy production budget or professional actors to develop content people want to see, either. As long as you’re authentic and have a good story to tell, you can make great video content – just make sure you’re up to date with the most current trends, such as:
Vertical Video – Not long ago, if you posted a video that was filmed vertically, you’d be universally hated. Video moved to the 16:9 standard, which includes a wider frame of reference, with the rise of wide-screen televisions. But with the prevalence of amateur video recorded on smartphones, vertical video is on the rise. Snapchat was one of the first to embrace the format, but now YouTube and Facebook Live have also updated their apps to allow vertical video display, and even ESPN has gotten in on the action. Vertical video requires some different filming and editing techniques, due to its narrower aspect ratio, so make sure you read up on best practices.
Live Video – Social media is about authenticity, and what could be more authentic than a live stream? Live streaming gained popularity with services such as Periscope and Twitch, but especially after the introduction of Facebook Live, it’s moved from a trend to a full-blown marketing strategy that businesses are embracing across industries. Live streaming lets content creators give an authentic look into their lives and companies, address events real-time and engage with their audience in the present, and live streams feature significantly longer watch-times than recorded content. And, while the streams can often be viewed after the fact, the ability to watch and interact with someone live is a big incentive, and a callback to the popularity of live television.
Short-Form Video – Short-form video has been on the rise for a while; starting with Snapchat, which imposed ten-second limits when it rolled out its video feature, short form video is only becoming more popular. In 2017, Mark Zuckerberg reported that Instagram Stories now has more than 300 million daily active users. Are our attention spans getting shorter? Probably. But short-form video forces content creators to get right to the point, and to be creative in a minimal amount of time. It’s also easier and faster to create, distribute and repurpose, and at a time when things change at lightning speed, the ability to take advantage of current trend or message before it’s quickly outdated cannot be understated.
Video should be a part of every marketer’s content strategy. If it’s not part of yours, there are ample opportunities to start experimenting, and these trends are all simple ways to get started. If you’re looking for help with your content strategy, send us an email at info@prosiopr.com.